Fremont council president will enforce 3-minute public input limit

May 17, 2013

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Staff writer

FREMONT — Fremont City Council President Jim Weaver said Thursday that he intends to strictly enforce a three-minute public participation rule at council meetings through the end of the year, an announcement met with anger and disapproval by Fourth Ward independent council candidate Joe Michles.

Weaver made the announcement immediately prior to Michles speaking at Thursday’s council meeting

The council president said that he was enforcing the rule in the interest of fairness to all candidates, including Michles, in the November election.

Michles and council member Dallas Leake questioned the timing of Weaver’s announcement, with both noting that there had been a lengthy discussion during the public participation portion of the council’s May 2 meeting regarding the reservoir project, water costs and what American Municipal Power pays for water usage compared to the average resident.

“But you don’t want to discuss the problems,” Michles protested, as he accused Weaver of trying to stifle the spread of information to the general public.

Weaver said he was not picking on Michles, who has frequently spoken during the public participation portions of council meetings since 2011, and been a frequent critic of decisions made on the city’s reservoir project and the possibility of the city removing the Ballville Dam.

He said the three-minute rule had been a part of the council’s by-laws since August.

Michles said he had been coming up to the podium for two and a half years to speak about city projects and not to advance a personal political agenda.

Weaver told Michles that if he did not feel three minutes was enough time, he could approach council members individually and ask committee chairpersons to allow him time to speak at length at committee meetings.

Leake said he thought the council attempted to limit debate and the sharing of information by imposing a three-minute rule on speakers and did so with Mayor Jim Ellis when he brought concerns about the reservoir project to the meetings as a mayoral candidate.

“I think you’re abusing your power on this one,” Leake told Weaver, a statement that council members Bob Marker and Tom Knisely strongly disputed.

Julie Kreilick noted that she had allowed Michles to give a presentation at a utilities and traffic committee meeting. She extended an offer to the Fremont resident to approach her again with his concerns and request another appearance in front of her committee.